New Orleans man shot to death blocks away from festival

A man was shot to death Sunday afternoon just blocks away from a festival on Bayou St. John. One witness said the man was holding a baby when he was killed. The man, whose name has not been released, was shot in the face in the 3100 block of Orleans Avenue around 3 p.m. He died at a local...

A man was shot to death Sunday afternoon just blocks away from a festival on Bayou St. John. One witness said the man was holding a baby when he was killed.

The man, whose name has not been released, was shot in the face in the 3100 block of Orleans Avenue around 3 p.m. He died at a local hospital, said Officer Hilal Williams, New Orleans Police spokesperson.

According to friends and family, the 21-year-old man was standing outside his family's home with his mother and other family members, some young children, when he was shot. A woman who identified herself as the victim's mother sat sobbing in the neutral ground. The mother told the people around her that her son was shot right in front of her.

A young woman in a blue sundress stood in the neutral ground crying with a cell phone in her hand. She said she is the mother of the victim's baby. Their baby, she said, a 6-month-old girl with white bows in her pigtails and wearing a white dress embroidered with yellow, pink and blue flowers, was in the man's arms when he was shot at close range.

The baby was unhurt, the mother said.

A single marker on the sidewalk in front of the house marked where a bullet casing was found by police.

Just two blocks from the shooting, thousands of people were attending the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo festival. Some fest-goers hanging out near the Orleans Avenue Bridge said they did not hear any gunshots, likely due to the proximity of the festival's largest music stage. People walking to and from the festival on Orleans Avenue were oblivious to what had just taken place.

A few blocks in the other direction, people were barbecuing on North Broad Street as they awaited a second line parade.

At the shooting scene, a young woman tried to go through the police tape, yelling "I want my cousin" as she writhed on the ground. She was later loaded onto a stretcher and taken into an ambulance.

A friend of the family who did not wish to be identified said the shooting victim was the father of three young children. She also said that he was "a sweet loving person," who was a baseball star in high school.

"He was a great father," she said.

Homicide Detective Orlando Matthews is in charge of the investigation and can be reached at 658-5300. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 822.1111 or toll free at 877.903.7867. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn up to $2,500 for tips that lead to an indictment.